Photo Scavenger Hunt - March

On Swap-Bot, I signed up for a electronic swap that is a photo scavenger hunt. For the swap, the participants needed to find six items, take a photo of each one, and share the findings with their  partners.

Here are the items for March:

An animal that is not your pet:

I was driving Sophia home from harp lessons on Wednesday, March 21st and we were passing beautiful, open land about 10 minutes from our home. In the distance, there were two large birds. Pulled to the side of the road to get a closer look and saw that they were sandhill cranes.

The day before, the first day of Spring, I had heard a sandhill crane flying by our home. The 21st was the first day that I saw a pair of them.

This is sure sign that Spring is here...despite the snow on the ground!

A funny or unique poster or banner that your saw on a wall or building somewhere:

This is a sign for a business that is about 15 minutes away from us in a town that has strong Swedish roots.

It struck me as funny the way that they chose to depict Swedish people and a family restaurant. I don't see people looking like this around the area. The sign did catch my eye though...so maybe that's the purpose of it.

A beautiful sky - clouds, sunrise, or sunset.

This is a sunrise on March 25th. It is looking northeast from our farm.

The clouds were shades of pink and lavender beyond this golden orange sunrise.

Your favorite mug or cup.

Olivia gave me this mug for Christmas. I like wildlife and we've seen foxes on our farm, so this mug is a nice reminder of seeing them.

The design of the fur and tail - with tiny patterns that are colored in randomly also is something that I enjoy looking at. Coloring and art are things I've enjoyed doing as a child and adult.

Something cluttered or messy.

We have a hodge podge of dishes - some belong to sets, others are random pieces from the thrift store, and others are ones that the girls painted in ceramics classes throughout the year.

Since we're a homeschooling family, we eat all of our meals at home. Every once in a while we will go out for something to eat. However, the majority of our meals are eaten here. So, that means we go through a lot of dishes each day. Regardless, I needed to reduce the number of dishes so they are easier to find ones we need and put them away.

 
So, I took everything out of the cabinet plus the extra dishes in another cabinet and we went through each plate, cup, mug, bowl, salt and pepper shaker. We got rid of ones that were chipped or ones that we didn't particularly care for any more. It still looks like a lot of dishes. However, the majority of the dishes are ones that we typically use within a two-day period.

Something purple or mostly purple.

These are some of the grand champion ribbons that I have won at the county fair for items I've entered. There have been awards for needlework, food preservation, writing, and collections.

The ribbons hang on a closet knob in my home office. The other closet knob holds the reserve grand champion ribbons and additional grand champion ribbons that didn't fit on the other knob.

My daughters and I enjoy competing in the county fair each year. We've been doing this now for 11 years. We're looking forward to the upcoming season and entering projects in a variety of areas.

Kikkomen Recipe and Sampling Party

I was chosen by Kikkoman and House Party to sample some Kikkoman products with family and friends. In the party pack, there was a $25 gift card for food, aprons, fabric markers, coupons for Kikkoman products, and recipe booklets. Each of the guests received an apron, coupon, and recipe booklet.

Olivia, Sophia, and my sister, Mary

We made two recipes together (chicken tacos and a beef stir fry), and sampled others I had made ahead of time (the soup and salad needed longer cooking and/or cooling times).

On Sunday, March 25th, we tried the following recipes found on Kikkoman's website:

Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Kikkoman® Sesame Oil
1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup 1/2-inch diced onion
1/2 cup 1/2-inch diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup Kikkoman® Gluten-Free Less Sodium Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
1 tablespoon Kikkoman® Gluten-Free Less Sodium Tamari Soy Sauce
6 (4-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
Optional: 2 cups tri-color slaw (green cabbage, red cabbage and carrots)
Optional toppings:
Additional Kikkoman® Gluten-Free Less Sodium Teriyaki and Kikkoman® Tamari Soy Sauce
Fresh cilantro leaves
Sliced green onions
Toasted sesame seeds
Pickled ginger

Instructions

Cut and prepare chicken and vegetables as noted above.

Prepare the garnishes as well.

Heat Kikkoman® Sesame Oil in a medium skillet set over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to brown.

Reduce heat to medium and add onion and bell pepper; cook for 3 minutes more.

 

Stir in Kikkoman® Gluten-Free Less Sodium Teriyaki Sauce and Kikkoman® Tamari Soy Sauce and cook for 2 minutes more.

Spoon equal amounts into warmed tortillas and top with cabbage slaw.

Serve with any desired toppings.

Makes 4-6 servings.

4 servings: (including slaw) 5 servings: (including slaw) 1.5g saturated fat 1g saturated fat 450mg sodium 360mg sodium 10g sugar 8g sugar 0g trans fat 0g trans fat


Teriyaki Meatballs

Ingredients

⅓ cup Kikkoman® Panko Bread Crumbs
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons Kikkoman® Soy Sauce
1 pound lean ground beef
¼ cup crushed pineapple, drained (optional - I didn't use)
Vegetable cooking spray
¼ cup Kikkoman® Teriyaki Takumi, Original

Instructions

Combine panko, egg and soy sauce in large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

Add ground beef and pineapple; mix until thoroughly combined. Shape into small meatballs, 1 inch in diameter.

Arrange meatballs, 1 inch apart, on foil-lined shallow baking pan, lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake in 375º F oven 12 to 15 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through. Immediately transfer meatballs into large bowl and pour in teriyaki sauce. Toss well to coat all pieces evenly with sauce.

Makes 6 to 8 appetizer servings.


Light and Zesty Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup Kikkoman® Rice Vinegar
2 lemons
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ tablespoon sugar
4 cups baby spinach, chopped
¼ red onion, finely diced
½ cucumber, diced
1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
1 avocado, sliced into cubes
¼ cup pomegranate seeds (I didn't use these since they weren't available)

Instructions

Cook quinoa per package directions and place into the fridge to cool completely.

Meanwhile, whisk together olive oil, rice vinegar, the juice from two lemons plus the zest from one, salt, pepper, and sugar.

When quinoa is cool, assemble the salad by tossing the quinoa, spinach, onion, cucumber, peppers, avocado, and pomegranate seeds with the dressing.

Makes 4 servings



Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chinese Soup

Ingredients

8 cups (2 quarts) chicken broth
1/4 cup Kikkoman Soy Sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, thinly sliced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced 1-inch piece
fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon Kikkoman Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 square firm tofu, cubed
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
1/4 cup sliced green onions

Instructions

Pour chicken broth into a 5 to 8 quart slow cooker. Stir in soy sauce, rice vinegar, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, ginger, sriracha, white pepper, sugar and tofu.

Cook on low 6 to 8 hours, or high 3-4 hours. Serve garnished with cilantro and green onions. 

Makes 6-8 servings

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We also made a beef stir fry that didn't have a recipe. It was one we made up ourselves.

Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients

1 pound beef sirloin steak, cut into strips

1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup fresh mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup canned bamboo shoots, thinly sliced

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup Kikkoman Stiry-Fry Sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon Kikkoman Soy Sauce

Olive oil

White rice, cooked according to package directions

Instructions

Mix together the cornstarch and soy sauce. Add the sirloin steak and let sit for 5 minutes.

Chop and prepare vegetables as noted above.

Heat some olive oil in a wok. When hot, add the beef sirloin steak and cook until browned. Remove from wok.

 

Add a little more olive oil in the wok. When hot, add the onions, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, and bamboo shoots. Cook until crisp-tender.

Add the stir-fry sauce and meat; and cook longer until vegetables are at desired doneness.

Serve by itself or with rice.

Celebrating the Spring Equinox with Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade

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Spring has arrived...though it is hard to believe on this chilly day. There's still snow on the ground and we are wearing winter coats.  Nonetheless, the days are getting longer and the sun feels warmer.

On this first day of Spring, I made Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade that I saw on Pinterest. It led to a recipe on Life's Ambrosia. The picture on the pin is significantly different than the finished product. The pin looks like lemonade with slice strawberries floating in the pitcher. The actual recipe is more of a smoothie-looking beverage that has a soda-beverage type consistency.

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade
Serves 4
Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

6 lemons
1 to 1 1/2 cups simple syrup (recipe follows)
1 (16 ounce) container strawberries, hulled and halved
1 quart sparkling water
Ice cubes
Mint for garnish

For the Simple Syrup
2 cups sugar
2 cups water

Instructions:

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Cool completely.

Roll the lemons back and forth a couple of times on the counter to release the juices. Cut the lemons in half juice into a bowl. Remove any seeds that may have fallen into the juice. You should get about 1 cup of lemon juice.

Put the sliced and hulled strawberries in a blender.

Using a blender, blend the strawberries with the 1/2 cup of the simple syrup, until smooth.

Pour lemon juice, strawberry puree, 1/2 cup simple syrup and sparkling water into a pitcher. Add more simple syrup if you want a little more sweetness. Add ice cubes. Chill until ready to drink.

Place more ice cubes in a glass, pour in chilled lemonade, garnish with mint sprig. Enjoy!

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Celebrating St. Patrick's Day

This year we had a multi-day St. Patrick's Day celebration...and we're not even Irish.

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On Friday, Sophia, Olivia, and I made Shamrock Shakes at the nursing home. We've been doing this for a few years and always have fun doing it.

We had multiple containers of vanilla ice cream, milk, and crème de menthe going so that we could make and serve the seniors quickly.

Each of the shakes was topped with whipped cream and chocolate chips.

Olivia and I brought the shakes to the residents and handed out the napkins.

After we made and served all the shakes, the girls each enjoyed a shake.

They didn't have a mint-flavored one, though, since we ran out of the mint flavoring.

The room was full of residents and some family members who listened to Irish music.

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On Saturday, each of the girls received five $1 gold coins and a card.

They generally save half of the money and spend the other half.

We had a simple breakfast served with sliced strawberries and grapes (a green fruit I knew everyone would eat).

I had wanted to make Irish Potato Soup and tea sandwiches with cucumbers and green peppers, but the morning slipped by quicker than anticipated. Oh well...perhaps next year I can make the soup and sandwiches.

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In the afternoon, we all went to a puzzle competition that Olivia signed us up to do. There was a 550-piece puzzle on each table for the 12 competing teams. All the puzzles were the same - so it was fair.

We sorted the pieces while Olivia did the border. Next, we grouped the pieces by color and/or identifying characteristics.

Each person worked on different aspects of the puzzle. It was really fun...and it brought out the competitive nature in us.

In less than one hour, we completed the puzzle. We were told to raise our hands when we finished.

Needless to say, Olivia was thrilled.

She does so many puzzles and this is "her thing." So, it was especially rewarding for her to get first place.

The second place winner finished about a minute after we did - so it was a very close race. The rest of the teams continued to work at varying stages of completion.

We took one last photo before we left to remember our first puzzle competition.

Afterwards, we went to Dairy Queen to enjoy the prize we won: a $20 gift card to Dairy Queen. (We also received a chocolate candy and a certificate for a free book from the library's sale carts.)

We had mint blizzards and a chocolate malt. It was a nice reward for the competition.

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